Next-Generation Automated Salmon Feeding to Increase Productivity and Improve Sustainability and Fish Welfare

苏格兰是全球第三大养殖大西洋三文鱼生产国(苏格兰政府，2017年)，苏格兰三文鱼是英国主要的食品出口国(食品和饮料联合会，2019年)。为了满足日益增长的需求，苏格兰水产养殖业制定了雄心勃勃的目标，到2030年将该行业的经济贡献从18亿GB(2016)增加到36亿GB，并在2030年前将就业人数翻一番，达到18,000个(苏格兰食品和饮料公司，2016)，这要求产量同比增长5%。然而，苏格兰议会的一个委员会最近得出结论，依靠目前的最佳实践进行扩张“将是不可持续的，可能会对环境造成不可挽回的破坏”(苏格兰议会，2018年)，这为创新解决方案提供了强大的需求拉动。此外，苏格兰三文鱼养殖场即将达到产能，如果没有达到产能的话，因为大多数合适的地点已经被开发。日益增长的环境担忧意味着许可证的获得取决于潜在的环境影响。因此，养鱼产量受到许可证可获得性的限制。因此，改善和增加产量，同时减少对环境的影响的唯一现实方法是提高三文鱼养殖过程的生产率。目前公认的最佳实践是让农民监控水下摄像机和传感器的馈送，并依靠经验、直觉和喂食图来喂养鱼。过度饲养会导致饲料浪费，增加生产成本；而饲养不足则会减缓鱼类生长，并通过推迟捕捞时间来增加生产成本。不准确的饲养还会导致有害的营养物质排放到环境中，这与局部的富营养化和有害的藻类繁殖有关(Davidson等人，2014)。我们将与全球最大的鱼类养殖硬件供应商Akva Group旗下的Akva Scotland和斯特林大学水产养殖研究所的鱼类行为专家合作，开发下一代自动三文鱼投喂，提高生产率，改善可持续性和鱼类福利。通过与Akva Group的分销关系，该项目将实现快速商业化和全球技术输出，将英国定位为可持续水产养殖领域的领导者。该项目与多种产业战略挑战保持一致，使英国处于人工智能和数据革命的前沿，支持清洁增长，并改变食品生产系统，提高生产率和可持续性。

Scotland is the third largest global producer of farmed Atlantic salmon (Scottish Government, 2017) and Scottish salmon is the UK's leading food export (Food & Drink Federation, 2019). To meet growing demand, the Scottish aquaculture industry has set ambitious targets to double the economic contribution of the sector from £1.8 billion (2016) to £3.6 billion by 2030 and to double the number of jobs to 18,000 by 2030 (Scotland Food & Drink, 2016), requiring year-on-year production growth of 5%. However, a Scottish Parliamentary committee recently concluded that expansion relying on current best practice "will be unsustainable and may cause irrecoverable damage to the environment" (Scottish Parliament, 2018), providing a strong demand-pull for innovative solutions.Furthermore, Scottish salmon farming is close to reaching, if not at, capacity as the majority of suitable locations are already exploited. Growing environmental concerns means the acquisition of licenses is dictated by the potential environmental impacts. As a result, the output of fish farming is limited by the availability of licenses. Therefore, the only realistic approach to improving and increasing production, while decreasing environmental impacts, is to improve the productivity of the salmon farming process.Aquaculture feed management has a critical role to play in supporting the development of a sustainable aquaculture industry (FAO, 2013). Currently accepted best practice is for farmers to monitor underwater camera and sensor feeds and rely on experience, intuition, and feeding charts to feed the fish. Over-feeding results in feed wastage, increasing production costs; while under-feeding slows fish growth and increases production costs through delaying time to harvest. Inaccurate feeding also causes harmful nutrient discharges to the environment, linked to localised eutrophication and harmful algal blooms (Davidson et al., 2014).Innovate UK funding brings together a world-class consortium, led by Observe Technologies. Working with AKVA Scotland, part of AKVA Group, the world's largest supplier of finfish aquaculture hardware, and fish behaviour experts at the University of Stirling's Institute of Aquaculture, we will develop the next-generation of automated salmon feeding, increasing productivity and improving sustainability and fish welfare. Through Observe's distribution relationship with AKVA Group, this project is set for rapid commercialisation and global technology exports, positioning Observe and the UK as a leader in sustainable aquaculture.This project is aligned with multiple Industrial Strategy Challenges, placing the UK at the forefront of the artificial intelligence and data revolution, supporting clean growth, and transforming food production systems, improving productivity and sustainability.